Holy Spirit, West Bridgford
In 1847, the first mass in the parish came to life at West Bridgford, while it was a development of large houses for the lace manufacturers of Nottingham.
Holy Spirit West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM
Early Beginnings
The first Mass in the parish since The Reformation was offered by Fr Francis Hays in the pavilion of Nottingham Castle Cricket Ground on Loughborough Road. Father Hays was then appointed priest in charge of the Mass Centre set up in the house which is now part of The Becket School.
Below is a photo of the Holy Spirit Church taken from the West Bridgford Directory of 1938. If you notice the entrance was at the front on Melton Road, there also appears to be an extra extension on the side (Which were toilets apparently!) with a bell tower. In the background are houses where the Social Centre is now.
The first stone of the church was laid by Bishop Thomas Dunn in 1929, and the church was completed by 1932.
The first Parish Priest of the Holy Spirit was Fr. Francis T. Royds. The original church on the Victoria Road site was opened in 1930.
He was succeeded by Fr Robert Woodbridge and Fr John Buckley. Fr James Monaghan was appointed Parish Priest in 1966 and engaged in an extensive building programme.
The present Social Centre was opened in 1967, St Edmund Campion Primary School early in 1974 and the present church was constructed in the May of the same year.
Fr Gregory Tobin became Parish Priest in 2001 and came to us from The Briars Residential Youth Centre in Crich, Derbyshire. Fr Christopher Thomas joined us as Assistant Priest in 2008 from St Thomas More in Leicester.
Fr. Christopher was then succeeded as Assistant Priest by Fr. Stanley Ofoegbu from Nigeria in November 2009. After ten years in the Parish, Fr. Greg left the Parish with Fr. Stanley to Glossop Parish.
Fr. Michael Brown then succeeded Fr. Tobin as Parish Priest in September 2011 with Assistant Priest Fr. John McCay.
Fr. Michael retired in August 2022 and Fr. John returned to the Cathedral.
The Holy Spirit Parish celebrated 40 years of the Consecration of the present Church in July 2014.
Our current Priests are Fr. John Martin and Fr. Liam Carpenter who arrived in the parish in September 2022.
Holy Spirit, West Bridgford
Weekend Masses
Saturday 6.30 PM
Sunday 11.00 AM
Weekday Mass
Wednesday 9.30 AM
Friday 6 PM
Confessions (Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month)
Saturday 5.30 – 6.15 PM
Holy Spirit Cricket Club    Â
Did you know the Parish has its own cricket team? We play friendlies on weekday evenings/Sundays against other churches, work teams & clubs. We’ve got lots of games planned for the summer and are always looking for new players of any standard. Don’t be fooled by the Club’s name: parishioners from any of our 4 churches are most welcome, as are family & friends, including juniors aged 13+. If you would like to know more, contact David at David.Paton@nottingham.ac.uk 0795 405 5778.
10th West Bridgford (Holy Spirit) Brownies 45th Birthday Celebration. & Retirement of Leader
Holy Spirit Brownies are celebrating 45 years of Brownies in the Parish and would like to invite any past members to join them on Monday 29th April 2024 at 6.45pm to celebrate the occasion.
Retirement of Brownie Leader 1979 to 2024: After 45years of service to the girls of the Parishes and Girl Guiding, Brown Owl (Claire Spencer) is retiring in April 2024. Claire Spencer (Brown Owl) started the 10th West Bridgford Brownie Pack in 1979, with the assistance of Liz Wheat which was the first uniformed organisation for girls aged 7 to 10 years old in the Parish. Since the formation of the pack over 1000 girls have been members of the Holy Spirit Brownies.
Over the years the Brownies have been on many trips and camps, such as visits to London (Buckingham Palace), the National Space Centre, the Deep, camping at Elton and the annual trip to the Pantomime.
During the past 45 years Brown Owl (Claire), has dedicated her time and effort in ensuring the Brownies have enjoyed themselves and learnt new skills along the way. Â
Thank you, Alex (Sunny Owl} and Jo (Barn Owl) for carrying on the running of the pack, hopefully for many more years to come. Finally, thank you Claire (Brown Owl) for your service, dedication and time given over the past 45 years, and we wish you all the best for the future.Â
Appeal for volunteer: Safeguarding Representatives Â
Are you passionate about ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals within our community? We are currently seeking two dedicated volunteers to join us as a Safeguarding Representative. Please reach out to Parish Office for more details.
Craft Club
Craft club is held in the Holy Spirit Social Centre Lounge every month except August and December. Our first three meetings are on Wednesdays the 24th Jan, 21st Feb, March 20th, 2 pm – 4pm. Bring your own craft project , learn a new skill, join in with larger fundraising projects for charity. All are welcome, good company and tea and biscuits provided.
Parish Ministry Groups
Holy Spirit, West Bridgford offers a variety of ways to learn and grow as an individual within the Church and the community. The groups listed host activities inside our Church open to all, offering everyone a place to get closer to God or support the day-to-day running of the Church.
We love to support as much as we can, if you would like to add your group to the list, please get in touch with us.
Join Us in Preparing for Our 50th Jubilee Celebration
Holy Spirit Cricket Club
The Book Shop
Brownies
CAFOD Group
The Burundi Project
Celebrating 45 Years of CAFOD at The Holy Spirit Church
Live Simply Award
Jim Harrington Celebrates his 60th Anniversary
Bill’s 51st Anniversary Party
Fr. Michael’s 40th Anniversary of Ordination
